In Praise of Praise

I love black licorice and I’m not going to apologize. I really love it. And here, in Wellington, New Zealand, I wandered into a store and bought some from R.J.’s Licorice. It was delicious. It was quite soft, quite flavorful, and the portion was just right for me, a licorice lover.

I love the opportunity to praise things. I love being a fan of things. I loved hanging out with GM and driving a Cadillac CTS. I love experiencing things, and then I love talking about them. I love raving.

I flew first class on Air New Zealand, because I said something friendly to a flight attendant after having to run through the airport (literally run) to catch the flight. She gave me a ticket into the BEST flight experience I’ve ever had.

I’ve already told about a thousand folks. Now I’m telling another 20,000 via RSS, and however many more through the front door of my website.

Praise is powerful.

Giving someone something doesn’t elicit praise. Praise comes from an experience that causes positive emotions, and that’s a tricky thing that matters. It’s hard to do the right things to elicit praise, but then again, that’s the deal. You can’t seek praise. You can only tend the farm and make the best damned tomatoes you can make.

Finally, I won’t apologize for the fact that I love to love things. It’s how I’m wired. I’m built to praise. You want the sour patch kids? I can point out their blogs, but I bet you know their names.

I’m over here praising.

Chris Brogan

CEO of Owner Media Group

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